Metallic time-card for letter-boxes



(No Model) B. MOM. REED.

METALLIG TIME CARD FOR LETTER BOXES.

No. 354,439. Patented Dec. 14, 1886.

Fi ji us MAIL Fig.4.

2b NOT FOR 8 7 3o VALUABLE LETTERS 05 l0 5 M I! 50 PM h4 5 E I I A I y/7/ L I I (9 I 7/, e n/ I d/ ll I d i i o l e e, 7',

v WITNESSES I INVENTOR Z gm// @Wuu/il/Lflmd y0$v BY CAa/D /3 LCM/1v-A'ITORNEY.

N. PETERS. Phclo-ljlhumaplwn wiilllngflm. nc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BRENT MOM. REED, OF ARLINGTON, MARYLAND.

METALLIC TIME-CARD FOR LETTER-BOXES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 35 4A89, dated December14, 1886.

Application filed June17, 1886.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BRENT MoM. REED, a citizen of the United States,residing at Arlington, in the county of Baltimore and State of Maryland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Time-Cardsfor Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a metal time-card for street letter-boxes, andhas for its object to provide metal time-figures which are changeable oradjustable in a frame, whereby the same figures may be recombined toexpress different time as often as desired.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a front view of the time-card and figures complete. Fig. 2is a front view of the frame without the figures. Fig. 3 is a back viewof the device complete, excepting only two of the clamp ing-plates. Fig.4 is a cross-section view of the frame. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are views ofthe time-figure plates. Figs. 8 and 9 are views of locking-bars.

The letter A designates a metal frame of any suitable shape, provided onits rim 1) with two or more screw-holes, 0, through which are passedscrews for attaching it to the letterbox. Certain portions of the frontsurface of the frame are smooth, and may be provided with raised letterscast integral therewith to give any desired announcement. For instance,at one upper corner is Open A. M., indicating that letters are takenfrom the letterbox at certain hours, which are shown directly below. Atthe other upper corner is Open 1?. M. The time-figures directly below-A.M. and P. M. refer to work-days. In the lowerflleft-hand corner isSunday, and the time-figures on the horizontal line therewith refer tothat day only. At the central part are the cast letters and words U. S.Mail, and anyadditional announcement that may be desired. The rim 7) iscontinuous without break, but cut-awayplaces d are made in the plate, inwhich are to be inserted the timefigures e e. At the back the rim bprojects from the central surface, so that the entire central surfaceforms a recess, f. At one edge of each cut-away place the back has alug,9, cast integral therewith, and the plate of each hourfigure 6 has atone corner a notch, g, corre- Seria1No.iZ05.40B. (No model.)

sponding in shape and size with the said lug. The purpose of the lug andnotch is to insure that the'hour-figure plate 6, which must be insertedat the back, will be placed right side up.

The hour-figure plate 0 and the minute-figure plate 6 are separate, andare provided with means for their union, so as to permit them to bechanged and recombined to produce any desired hour and minute. Theconstruction of these time-figure plates is shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7.

Fig. 5 shows three views of the hour-figure plate-a front View, an edgeview, and a back view. That portion 6 of the plate (see Fig. 5) on whichthe hour-figure is cast is thickest. At the end where the notch 9 comesthe plate has a thin flange, h, which rests upon the back of the surfacef, and the other end of the thick portion is a thin minute-figure back,i, which has a tongue, 7c, at the extremity and a hole, Z, at thecenter.

The minute-figure platee is shown in Fig. 6 in three views. This plateis thickest where the minute-figures 25 are cast; but while thickest,this part is only about half as thick as the thick portion e of thehour-plate. At one end and flush with the back side of the thick part isa central tang, Z, which, as in Fig. 7, is entered through the centerhole, Z, in the hourfigure plate. The minute-figure plate rests upon thethin part *5 of the hour-figure plate, as seen in Fig. 7. Said thin partz thus serves as a back or support for the minute-figure plate. tangs,11, one being at each corner, and said tangs are also flush with theback side. It will thus be seen that the constructionis such that anyhour-figure plate and any minutefigure plate may be combined, whereby agiven set of plates permit of being changed and adjusted at will toexpress different time.

- The time-figure plates occupy the'cut-away places (I in the frame, andthe thin flange h at one end of said plate and the tongue 7c and twotangs n at the other end rest upon the to this position by a lockingbar,0, which extends across their backs. One end of the locking-bar 0 has aslot, 12, and the other end has a slot, 1), with anenlargement or wideopening, g, at one of its ends. The back of the frame has two headedstuds, 0*, and the This plate has at the other end twoback f of theframe. These plates are confined IOO slotsp and p of the locking-bar oengage with the said studs, as shown in Fig. 3. The locking-bar isplaced in or removed from its position by being moved endwise.

The timefigure plates on the horizontal line with Sunday are confined byshort bars 3 and studs 1'.

The advantages of a time-card of this description for letter-boxes willbe apparent to those acquainted with the subject.

Having described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States A time-card for letter-boxes, comprising thecombination of a metal frame having cut-away places cl, an hourfigureplate which is thickest where the figure is cast, and which has a thinflange, h, at one end and a thin part, 11,

at the other end, provided at its extremitywith a tongue, is, and at itscenter with a hole, I, a minute-figure plate resting upon the thin parti of the hour-figure plate, and having at

